Cancer And Aids

The association between AIDS and cancer was recognized from the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, when the appearance of Kaposi sarcoma in a cluster of young men was one of the first signs of this new disease. It was soon recognized that AIDS was caused by infection with a novel virus (HIV) and that AIDS patients are prone to develop a number of “AIDS-defining” cancers: Kaposi sarcoma, lymphoma, and cervical cancer. The development of effective combination anti-HIV therapy starting around 1996 converted AIDS from a death sentence to a manageable disease and led to dramatic shifts in the epidemic. As this therapy was able to improve immune function in patients, the incidence of most “AIDS-defining” cancers decreased. There is a misconception, however, that AIDS has gone away. In fact, as AIDS patients are living longer, the number of AIDS patients has more than doubled in the United States since 1996, and the AIDS population overall has increased in age. Also, as AIDS patients are less likely to die of other complications, cancer is coming to the forefront as one of the most common causes of death in regions where AIDS drugs are widely available. Moreover, the three “AIDS-defining” cancers are now taking a back seat to a number of other HIV-associated cancers, such as Hodgkin lymphoma, lung cancer, and anal cancer. In the developing world, AIDS-associated cancers are a major public health problem, and in some regions of sub-Saharan Africa, Kaposi sarcoma is the most common tumor in men. In recent years, there has been a vast increase in our understanding of HIV-associated cancers. We now know, for example, that most are caused by other viruses and that the main role of HIV and immunodeficiency is to provide a supportive environment for the viruses to multiply and for the cancers to develop. But there remain a number of unanswered questions and a need for improved prevention and therapy. In the 28 chapters of this book, written by some of the most renowned experts in this field, we present up-to-date information on the cancers associated with HIV infection. The chapters cover the epidemiology of these cancers, their pathogenesis, their clinical presentation, and their treatment. The book will be of value to physicians, other medical professionals, students, and researchers with an interest in AIDS, viral-associated cancers, or HIV-associated malignancies. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. HIV-associated Cancers: Overview Robert Yarchoan, Thomas Uldrick, Mark Polizotto 2. Epidemiology of AIDS-defining Malignancies William A. Blattner and Rebecca G. Nowak 3. Epidemiology of non-AIDS Defining Malignancies Andrew E. Grulich 4. HIV Cancers in Resource-Limited Regions Sam M. Mbulaiteye 5. Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) Blossom Damania and Dirk P. Dittmer 6. Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) Lindsey Hutt-Fletcher 7. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Zhi-Ming Zheng 8. Merkel Cell Polymavirus (MCV) Nicole Fischer and Adam Grundhoff 9. Presentation and Pathogenesis of Kaposi's Sarcoma Corey Casper 10. Management of Kaposi's Sarcoma Susan E. Krown 11. Presentation and Pathogenesis of HIV Lymphomas Richard F. Little, Stefania Pittaluga, Kieron Dunleavy 12. Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Neel K. Gupta and Lawrence D. Kaplan 13. Burkitt and Burkitt-Like Lymphoma Kishor Bhatia and Sam M. Mbulaiteye 14. Primary Effusion Lymphoma Giovanna Tosato 15. AIDS-related Central Nervous System Lymphoma Jan Davidson-Moncada and Thomas Uldrick 16. Plasmablastic and Other Lymphomas Huan-You Wang, Ida Wong-Sefidan, Erin Reid 17. Hodkin Lymphoma Michele Spina, Rosanna Ciancia, Accursio Augello 18. Multicentric Castelman Disease Mark N. Polizzotto, Thomas S. Uldrick, Robert Yarchoan 19. Cervical Cancer Elizabeth A. Stier 20. Anal Cancer Joel Palefsky 21. Other HPV-Associated Cancers Kristina R. Dahlstrom and Erich M. Sturgis 22. Lung Cancer in HIV Infection Deepthi Mani and David M. Aboulafia 23. Hepattocellular Carcinoma in HIV-positive Patients Massimiliano Berretta, Paolo De Paoli, Umberto Tirelli, Bruno Cacopardo 24. Merkel Cell Carcinoma and Other HIV-associated Skin Cancers Nathalie C. Zeitouni adn Bethany Lema 25. Conjuctival Carcinoma Kenneth O. Simbiri and Erle S. Robertson 26. Malignancies in Children with HIV Infection D. Cristina Stefan 27. cART and Supportive Care Ronald T. Mitsuyasu 28. Stem Cell Transplantation Christine Durand and Richard Ambinder

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death globally, particularly among children and young adults. The spread of new pathogens and the threat of antimicrobial resistance pose particular challenges in combating these diseases. Major Infectious Diseases identifies feasible, cost-effective packages of interventions and strategies across delivery platforms to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, adult febrile illness, viral hepatitis, and neglected tropical diseases. The volume emphasizes the need to effectively address emerging antimicrobial resistance, strengthen health systems, and increase access to care. The attainable goals are to reduce incidence, develop innovative approaches, and optimize existing tools in resource-constrained settings.

This book summarizes the etiology, presentation, and treatment of the complex symptoms, infections, and opportunistic cancers of people living with HIV/AIDS. Presents therapies that strike a balance between controlling and eliminating cancer and minimizing the damage to the immune system. Illustrates points with clear and easily read figures,

This volume contains selected contributions from individuals who attended the Sec ond International Conference of the International Council for Global Health Progress (ICGHP) held at UNESCO in Paris, France, on January 15-17, 1996. This conference brought together experts in many disciplines that deal with the devastating diseases of cancer and AIDS with a focus on the concerns for quality of life. The ICGHP fosters mul ticultural and, multidisciplinary approaches to global health problems to help influence governments and other international health organizations to emphasize prevention and care of diseases and to understand their scientific, social, and cultural features. The Coun cil encourages the interchange of information on health problems and policy and supports educational funding for the public at large. Its objective is to effect diseases-free lives in the world community. Participants of the conference included scientists, sociologists, government leaders, physicians, health care providers, epidemiologists, religious leaders, company officials, ethicists, and philosophers. They examined and discussed the many variables involved in quality of life for people affected with cancer and with AIDS. The volume's text begins with introductory comments by officials attending the JCGHP conference. Subsequently, a chapter is dedicated to one aspect of quality of life, be it definition, scientific research, evolution, cultural changes, ethics, measurements, or other issues dealing with health care and treatment survival. The second part of the volume includes commentaries dealing with fi ve aspects of quality of life which merit consideration.

Cancer incidences increase in people living with HIV/AIDS. Over 2 million people currently live with HIV/AIDS in the US. This number will increase as HAART prolongs the average lifespan and as (at least in some states) the number of new HIV infections increase again. As this population ages their incidence rates for cancer will increase, as well. Recently, new rational targets for cancer therapy have emerged. But their application to the care of HIV+ patients is slow, because of concerns about the weakened immune status of the patients, because of possible drug interactions with HAART and because some of the AIDS defining cancer are rare.

The lifestyles and socio-economic status that are prevalent in regions of the world with limited resources form the background for the unique features of neoplastic diseases in these areas, where the majority of the world population lives. The predominance of the world’s retroviral burden of in these areas further compounds the nature and challenges of the cancer there. Much of the international cancer literature covers the nature and challenges of the disease as seen in high-income regions of the world, thereby giving a skewed view of the global cancer challenges. As the low- and middle-income regions of the world transition from communicable to non communicable disease patterns, there is a need for a corresponding paradigm shift, with increased emphasis on what the world needs to know about non communicable diseases, including cancer, where the disease is hitherto poorly documented. The main goal of the proposed book is to contribute to this outcomes.

Examining all the major research data since the 1940s, this book challenges two orthodox medical models: HIV as the cause of AIDS, and random genetic mutations as the cause of cancer. Based on the recent findings from Evolutionary Biology and Nitric Oxide research, it presents a fundamentally new understanding of the human cell, its double genome split between the cell nucleus and the mitochondria, and the role of energy production and signal modulation for immune reactions and carcinogenesis. Finally, it explains the concept of a new Cell Symbiosis Therapy® for the treatment of all chronic diseases, including cancer. Now available in English for the first time, this book is a must-read for doctors, patients and anyone following the cutting edge of biology and immunology. With the blasting open of such doors of knowledge, the medical world will never again be the same. Heinrich Kremer, MD, Medical Director Emeritus was, from 1968-1975, head of social therapy for addicts, sexual offenders and people with personality disorders at the Berlin Tegel prison which was the pilot project for the reform of the German penal system. In 1988 he resigned as medical director of a model clinic specializing in youth drug addiction due to differences on medical ethics regarding the HIV test and AIDS therapy. From 1993-1999 as collaborating member of the Study Group for Nutrition and Immunity (Bern) he investigated together with Prof. Alfred Hässig the mechanisms occurring in AIDS defining illnesses and in cancer. Since the publication of this book in German in 2001 he has been in demand as a lecturer on the treatment of chronic diseases, working today as senior consultant in a growing medical network for Cell Symbiosis Therapy®.

One of the most important aspects of AIDS is the loss of protective immune function in the infected host which leads to increased prevalence of opportunistic infections and cancers. This book specifically addresses viral-induced human cancers associated with AIDS and observed in the AIDS population. It addresses the specific treatment required in this special population and the molecular biology of the causative viral agents.